Analyzing politeness and refusal speech acts in popular Chinese television drama series

Abstract

This study examined rejection dialogues (refusals) in three popular Chinese TV dramas namely ‘Longing’, ‘The Happy Life of Zhang Damin’, and ‘Family with Children’ through the lens of speech act theory and refusal theory. Dialogue transcripts were thoroughly analyzed to identify rejection expressions within various contexts, considering politeness factors to select relevant examples. The analysis focused on how distinctions in politeness levels and contextual factors influenced the manifestation of refusals in Chinese discourse, highlighting five categories of refusal expressions embodying politeness strategies. Specific instances were qualitatively analyzed to discern deeper insights into refusal dynamics, considering factors such as linguistic form, triggering behavior, relational dynamics, and conversational impact. This comprehensive approach acknowledged the interplay of linguistic and non-verbal factors in shaping refusal expression, emphasizing their connection to cultural politeness norms.

Keywords

• the Chinese expressions of refusals
• politeness
• strategies of refusals
• Jeroen van de Weijer, College of International Studies, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
• Asian Media and Communication Studies
• Interpersonal Processes & Communication